Too Much Purple, Not Enough Green
NOTE: Thank you again everyone to your reviews, I can never get over that excitement of when you do. And a huge shout out to FeyFaerie and greaserslady for your wonderful reviews. They always make my day and you helped me write these next few chapters. This one is for you!
Ariana touched the tips of her fingers to the cobble road, looking down the narrow alley way. She hoped maybe if she looked down it long enough, the jinxer would simply appear.
Blaise sighed deeply beside her for the fifth time. He was leaning against the wall, not at all interested in what Ariana was trying to accomplish.
Ariana rolled her eyes and turned her head to glare at him.
"You know, this could actually be worthwhile if you helped." He stepped away from the wall, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Face it Ariana: We've been here four times. There are no clues." He picked up a pebble and began to toss it absently.
"Well, what else can we do?" Blaise just sighed, deeming her question rhetorical. He stopped tossing the pebble and looked at the opposite wall. He stepped over to it quickly and squinted. Ariana stepped over and looked back and forth at him and the wall.
"Do you see it?" He brought his hand up and made a circle in the air around a dark stain on the wall.
"What about it?"
Blaise took out a handkerchief and spit into it. He then rubbed the wall harshly and pulled it back. A dark red stain was now on the cloth. It was blood on the wall.
"But, how do we know whose it is? How do we know if it's even from what happened? It's been a while and there's been rain."
"Draco was struck there." Blaise pointed to a spot closer to the opposing wall. "It's possible the person was thrown back into the wall and was cut up. And with the way the buildings are and the roof, rain may not have gotten to it as easily."
"But can we track blood?"
"If muggles can figure out a way I'm sure wizards have."
Ariana ripped a piece of her cloak off and dipped it into a puddle at the edge of the opposite building from the rain the day before. She scraped at the wall to get more blood.
"You're saliva might distort the spell." Ariana explained as she folded the piece of cloak carefully and put it in her pocket. "How did they miss this when examining where it happened?"
"Despite the war being over, people still aren't too keen on wizards who were on the darker side before. I doubt they're really trying to find who jinxed Draco." Blaise's face was solemn for just a moment and then it was gone. He held out his arm so they could apparate when they heard Ariana's name being called.
They turned to see George at the end of the alley, looking nervous but still happy to see Ariana. She gave him a small wave, and he gave a small one back. She turned to look at Blaise who looked concerned.
"I'll meet you back at your place." She gave him a smile that said she'd be okay and it must have worked. Blaise nodded and apparated without her.
She headed out back into the main part of the road where George stood. When she reached him, she brought her arms out and hugged him without hesitating. George hugged her back, burying his face in her hair.
"Ariana I'm so-"
"Don't. It's okay. I forgive you. I can't blame you for being upset. It just surprised me is all." She felt his body relax against hers, the tension in him disappearing.
They walked down Diagon Alley for a while, Ariana filling him in on the situation. He pretty much knew everything because of Penelope, but he was happy to listen. He was just happy that things between him and Ariana were normal again.
"Well, I can't stay for too long. I've got to help out Blaise." George nodded in understanding.
"Ariana? What about…us?" His face flushed a little.
"George, I'm still so fond of you. But you've seen what this whole situation has done to us. I can't afford to lose you again."
He took her hand and pressed it against his chest.
"After." He said softly. "When everyone and everything is back to normal, we can start over." Ariana smiled.
"It's a deal." She took her hand back slowly and they simply stood there for a moment facing each other.
"And you tell Blaise to keep his hands off you."
"Oh trust me, he's well aware of that." She winked and then she was gone with a crack! Ariana fell to the ground of the manor, feeling dizzy. It was her second apparition all on her own and she was still getting used to it.
"Not bad." Came a voice. Blaise was sitting on the couch in the corner, lounging in wait. He had a book in his hands, one of his fingers wedged into it, holding a page he wanted to remember.
"Thanks." She got up steadily and pulled out the handkerchief.
"I think I found a potion that helps discover the identity of someone. It's fairly uncomplicated, but it doesn't give us a location."
"Well, that's still good." They headed to Blaise's office where he did all his potions. His cauldron and many of his ingredients were dusty. It was apparent that Blaise wasn't big on potions.
….
"Okay put the cloth in." Ariana dropped the piece of her cloak in the cauldron, wincing her hand away before the steam could burn it. The liquid went dark for a moment and then sprung into a brilliant purple, shining in their faces.
"It says we have to wait until it glows green, which the cloth will then float to the top, revealing the name of whose blood it is. It can take anywhere from half an hour to a day."
"Well, the blood was there for a while so I suspect it will take a while longer." Blaise nodded in agreement. They both sat there a moment, hope floating around in their heads that it would happen suddenly. Eventually they were picking up random books and read, pacing around the room. But the mixture remained purple the whole time.
Sometime around midnight Blaise gave up and headed for the bedroom across the hall to get some sleep. Ariana stayed up a bit longer, reading the potion over and over again to make sure they did it right. She sighed and went to sit at Blaise's desk.
There were some letters that had been from his daughter. From what Ariana knew, that was the only contact he had with her now. She felt a twinge of pity for him. She wondered if she could somehow get his daughter here to see him. She kept that thought in the back of her head, ready to bring it forward when life was a little less complicated.
There was another pile which looked like letters from Draco. She picked one up and began to read it, knowing she probably shouldn't.
Blaise,
You need to stop worrying about me. I'm not going to suddenly burn down the Weasley's. She's happy, and I suppose that's what I always wanted for her. He can give her a life that I never could. She'll never have it in the back of her mind that he's all wrong for her. I know that's how she felt about me.
She'll never love me the way I hoped she would. Let's face it Blaise, I'm all wrong for Ariana. She was my slave for God's sake. I can't expect her to change her opinion on me or forget everything I did to her. Just stop worrying. I'll be fine.
We'll go for drinks soon.
Draco M.
Ariana felt her heart skip a beat as she read it over and over. She looked at the other letters but none of them were about her. The rest were not as open and emotional as this one; they were mostly boring and just where/when they were going to meet or discussing work.
She put the letter down, remembering Draco the way he used to be. He had put her through so much abuse. But even still, she knew apart of her still wanted to be with him. The abuse had stopped, but who knew if it would come back up again. You can't just stop can you?
Then there was George. He had never laid a finger on her, was good to her, and she felt safe with him. She knew it was a no contest on who to be with, but her heart was telling her otherwise.
She shut down all these feelings and looked up at the cauldron still glowing bright lavender. She let out one long breath and stepped out of the office and into the bedroom where Blaise was asleep. She smiled slightly and made her way to the other side, slipping off her shoes before sliding under the covers.
…..
Draco rubbed his face with his hand lazily as he stumbled into the dining room for breakfast. Neither Ariana nor Blaise were there. He didn't really mind, finding that they were hanging around an awful lot when he was sure he was over whatever had happened to him.
One of the butlers came into the room with a plate of food, placing it on front of him neatly.
"Are Blaise and Ariana up yet?" His voice was groggy but the butler seemed to understand him.
"They're not here sire. They left yesterday afternoon and have not come back."
Draco stood there a moment and felt concern ripple through him. After what happened to him, who knew if someone was trying to hurt them too.
He ate quickly and then got dressed, ready to head over to their house in case they just went home.
When he was about to leave, one of the maids came up to him.
"Mr. Malfoy, I found these in an old closet. What would you like me to do with them?" She held out some black skirts and white tops, all neatly folded but looked like they had been abandoned. He didn't recognize them at first, but then it hit him.
His mind seemed to lift and swirl out of control, his body collapsing to the ground. All this memories and thoughts became a blur and for a moment he thought he didn't even know his own name. They swirled and spun for so long he thought he was going to be sick. The shouts from the concerned maid were unheard over the buzzing that thundered in his head.
And then it was gone, everything settled back into place and his vision seemed to come back. The maid had hold of his arm, the clothes she was holding now all over the floor.
His memory of Ariana was back, he remembered when she worked here, of his unforgivable lust for her. He remembered that day she left all those months ago.
That was the last time he saw her, or so he thought. His recollection of the last few weeks was now fogged, lost just as the other memories were.
"Where's Blaise?" Draco asked in a rasped, panicked voice. The maid remained speechless and Draco quickly apparated to his manor.
"Blaise!" he shouted with worry. He needed to talk to him about what happened. He remembered being hit with something powerful in Diagon Alley, and then he was suddenly laying there, Ariana's old clothes on the floor and the maid standing over him.
He burst through his office to see a cauldron bubbling a dark green glow, but Blaise was not there. He then heard some movement behind him. He turned to see the door across the hall slightly open.
He pushed it open and in that same moment he felt his stomach churn in absolute betrayal. Rage seemed to fill his blood vessels as his fists curled into tight balls.
Laying in the bed was Blaise, his arms wrapped around Ariana in a tight embrace as they were both sound asleep.
He snapped.
